Homecoming
by E Rocc
Summary: Influence can be a two way street.
1. Chapter 1

**Homecoming**

**Chapter 1**

_Somehow, it seems stranger that it looks the same from here, after all these years. _

Cordelia observed Beta Colony's slow growth in the viewport of the _Piotr Vorkosigan's_ shuttle. She reflected for a moment that there were any number of occasions where the ship's namesake would have been more than happy to send her back to Beta Colony, albeit on a one way journey. The mutual respect between her father in law and herself grew over the years, seemingly in tune with the mental growth of their mutual heir. But at times, each had caused the other much annoyance.

_Barrayarans! Betans! _As if they were all that different, when it was all said and done.

Certainly, paranoia was a common ground. Her lack of traumatic response to her imprisonment by the Barrayarans during the Escobar War had triggered it among some of her colleagues, sending her on her (probably inevitable) journey back to her erstwhile captors. Emperor Ezar had even told her that the legendary ImpSec head Negri had wanted to hire one of her doctors just for her "imagination".

Of course, it was also probably inevitable that the Barrayarans would rise to this challenge to one of their more notorious cultural traits, albeit forty years later. Emperor Gregor had Absolutely Insisted that Our Vicereine travel on the flagship of the Sergyaran Fleet, the newest dreadnought in the Navy, with several destroyers in escort. Admiral Eugen Vorpatril, the fleet commander, had one of the destroyers simulate engine trouble just outside the wormhole, necessitating emergency dockage at the main Betan military station there. He called it an "exercise", but the widow of Admiral Aral Vorkosigan strongly doubted that. Even Miles, now Count Vorkosigan, insisted on dispatching four of his Armsman as escorts, and General Allegre had added four more of ImpSec's top bodyguards. Cordelia had vetoed any and all efforts to make her homecoming an official state visit, but it felt like that was the only battle she had won.

-break-

Justice Minister Riva Patel couldn't wait for the ship to arrive. The evil hellbitch would finally get hers!

Ever since that horrible year, she had been working towards this goal. Her only child Ravinder, the product of a brief marriage before she realized her true self, had been one of the first members of the Betan Expeditionary Force killed by the Barrayarans. Then her partner Devi's Medical Service career had been sent into permanent eclipse by the hellbitch's resistance, assault, and escape. The insulting message to the Betan government that offered her a job "coming up with ideas" only sealed that status.

For decades, she moved upwards in the Justice Department through means fair and foul, with the intent of getting close enough to kill the hellbitch if she ever came back to Beta. Three years earlier, the plan had taken on a new dimension. Riva had learned that President Blythe had a clone on Jackson's Whole, getting ready for his retirement (presumably there). There were illicit funds there as well, but the clone is what gave her the leverage. According to the Betan Constitution, only the President could overrule her. She could arrest and try the hellbitch with the power of the planet behind her!

-break-

"Good. Carry on".

"Colonel Vorkalloner reports being in position, Admiral Vorpatril".

"Thank you, Commodore. That will be all. Dis…okay, out with it."

"Isn't this sort of risky? The Betans are not quite allies, but we've been on very good terms the last few years."

"Commodore Vorrinis, how would we react if they ran such a drill with us, and we found out?"

"We wouldn't be very happy. But I suppose we would be understanding. More or less."

"That's correct. We have no problems with them, and we want no problems with them."

"But this isn't entirely a drill."

"Only six men in Betan local space know this right now, and that includes you and me."

"True. But why take the chance?"

"Because the risk is minimal, if things go as they should. But my shoulder blades itch. So do General Morozov's. When the ImpSec Galactic Affairs chief agrees with this old warhorse, precautions should be taken."

"Yes, sir".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Welcome home, Vicereine."

_Funny, I would think the word "home" would ring much truer than it does. Still, I was concerned about my reception. I couldn't ask for better. So far._

"'Cordelia', please. This is not an official visit, Foreign Minister Galbreath. Thank you for meeting me here.".

"Indeed, it is my pleasure. May I present Defense Minister David Graves, and Chief of Staff General Andrea Martin".

"Delighted".

_Okay, two cultures collided there for a moment. I almost presented my Armsmen. That would be the Betan way, but very much contrary to Barrayaran tradition. No sense flustering the boys further than they already are. Wait, what's this?_

Steven Galbreath spoke first. "Riva, this is a surprise"

"Minister Patel, please. This is Official Business. Cordelia Naismith, you are under arrest for the charges of desertion, espionage, assaulting an officer, and High Treason". My men will be taking you into custody now".

"Minister, have you completely lost your mind?! The Vicereine, rather obviously, has Class III Diplomatic Immunity. Indeed, were there a higher version, she would have _that_!"

"Minister Galbreath, this is strictly an internal Justice matter. Naismith is a fugitive from Betan justice. She had no diplomatic status when her crimes were committed so it is inapplicable. Seize her!"

The first BIS agent to touch the Vicereine immediately flew sideways from a kick to the neck. The second crumpled from an elbow. Stunner fire erupted and intersected, and Armsman Czizek fell in a heap.

_In a crisis, reflexes return quickly. As does awareness. That Betan Honor Guard had no idea this was coming, they are stunned and don't know what to do. The Ministers are on my side. Uh oh, General Martin is going for her sidearm and she's looking at that Justice Minister. This could get ugly fast…._

"Enough!"

_Wow, that wasn't my Countess Voice or even the Vicereine Voice. It's been awhile since I heard the Captain's Voice._

Armsmen, see to Czizek. Ministers, please settle this through your proper channels. I hope you can do so quickly, because I would prefer that My Sons do not.

_Okay, it's official. I'm Barrayaran._

Countess Dowager and Vicereine Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, stepmother of the Emperor of Barrayar, allowed herself to be led away as the pilot of her shuttle transmitted an urgent alarm.

-break-

Admiral Vorpatril stiffened but did not hesitate when the signal arrived. "Send 'Pathfinder'. Upon confirmation from Vorkalloner, all ships to General Quarters."

_The beauty of being "paranoid" is you tend to be ready for damn near anything._

-break-

"General, Colonel Vorkalloner from the Barrayaran contingent is here to see you. He says it's urgent."

"Send him in."

"What's up, Ari?"

"General Stephens…."

_Okay, he looks very serious. What's going on?_

"I personally regret to, but am duty bound to inform you that I have received and executed orders to take control of Jumppoint Station Williams on behalf of the Empire of Barrayar."

_Huh? And what's come over Colonel Aristede Vorkalloner? He's gone from almost Betan in his mannerisms to something out of an Escobaran B movie._

"Colonel Vorkalloner. To state that this is an act of war is to belabor the obvious. May I ask why?"

"We have received word that Vicereine Cordelia Vorkosigan has been taken prisoner by the Betan Government".

_What?_

"Colonel. I do not believe you would joke about something like that. May I assure you that I had no prior knowledge of such an idiotic action even being considered."

"General, I believe you. For one thing, your personnel would have been prepared for our actions if you had. Clearly, they were not. I am pleased and proud to report that there have been no casualties. However, we feel that the initial act of war was her seizure."

"Personally, I cannot disagree."

"General, I give you my word of honor that if we are not resisted in any way, your people will not be harmed. If you give me your parole, they will be allowed to carry out all normal duties without interference save leaving the ship or anything to do with the weapons. I must also inform you, on my word as Vorkalloner, that the _Aron Papadopoulos_ contains enough explosives to completely destroy this station, and I _will_ give that order if there is any chance we will lose control of it. Its namesake, after all, commanded the fireships that blocked the wormhole after the Escobar War. You know me, and our people, well enough to know what those words mean, and that will we not leave the Vicereine, or any of our other people, behind."

"Of this I am aware. You have my parole."

-break-

On the destroyer _Amor Klyeuvi_, Commander Alexi Vormoncrief and a technical sergeant (actually a House Fell technician in Barrayaran uniform) made adjustments on a newly installed control panel. Upon their satisfaction, they transmitted instructions to four other destroyers and five troop transports, all similarly equipped. Once all nine gave the OK, the ships made the final wormhole jump into Betan local space.

Only one of the detector operators on the _Williams_ noted faint ghostly traces of their arrival. She looked quizzically at the Barrayaran soldier near her station. He smiled slightly and said "Shhhh…..just a couple hours, please". No one at any of the wormhole guard stations saw a thing, though to be fair, all were smaller and further away.

-break-

"That can't be!"

"I'm sorry, Minister Patel, but Vicereine…."

"The prisoner, please. We do not recognize what barbarians choose to name themselves".

"Nevertheless, she has a very strong implanted allergy to fast penta."

_Thank you, Aral. I'm sorry I said you were being ridiculous._

Patel turned red, but before she could explode, another aide timidly crept in.

"Minister Patel, the Cabinet is meeting at the President's offices. They need you".

Patel stomped off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Sheesh. Our Fearless Leader looks as if he's about to crap his pants. Graves is unsurprisingly pissed, but who cares? All I need is Willy Boy. The rest can go eat sand!_

_What's Gall-breath babbling about?..._

"Ah, Minister Patel. I'm very glad you could join us. I was just reporting on my meeting with Ambassador Vortala. He's just given us what he calls "good news". Emperor Gregor Vorbarra gives us 72 hours to release Vicereine Cordelia Vorkosigan and allow her to continue her visit with all due respect to her rank before he declares war. He states 'We will do, on her behalf, what she would ask of Us, not what We wish to do. For now.' " _It's perhaps not a good time to inform our clearly unbalanced Justice Minister that he also demands her removal and arrest._

"Empty bluff! They did not do so well last time, now did they?"

"Ummm, that was, after all, over forty years ago."

"Certainly we maintain our technological lead!".

It was Science Minister Hawkins who responded. "Not to the degree as in the past. By no means. They've come a long way. Especially during the last few years. They have a bunch of refugees from the Russian Civil War on Earth. Just before the final Orthodox Communist victory, several thousand of the best technical people escaped, and ended up on Sergyar. The universities are strong as well. Our physicists are just beginning to grasp something they call the Rivas-Youell Effect. That's two of their best people. It seems to involve tapping wormholes for energy and may have military implications."

Minister Graves interjected "Well that could explain why they have destroyers standing off from each wormhole, all at the same distance and angle between it and its main defense station. Including, by the way, Williams station, which they now control. And, have an explosives laden destroyer docked to."

"Unacceptable! Were your people sleeping?!"

"Well, they most certainly had no warning since you chose not to tell anyone that you intended to provoke them, Minister. But….it gets better. After Williams was captured by stealth, those destroyers and several troop ships managed to sneak into local space.

"We received, later, a surreptitious transmission from Williams. They tracked them, barely. Apparently, they have an operational version of the Bhoot Cloak."

_The what? Okay, I'm not the only one at this table confused. A few of Graves's allies look surprised. Unpleasantly. Hawkins's look almost matches Willy's. This can't be good._

Graves chose to clarify. "The Bhoot Cloak is a system that was developed at Silica University that's currently in prototype. It masks most of and distorts what's left of the electromagnetic emissions that normally mark a wormhole transition. It also degrades the effectiveness of the tracking mechanisms for most weapons. "

"We have this?"

"In prototype. It also can degrade the effectiveness of a ship's own navigational systems. We've been unable to guarantee safe operation, particularly for larger vessels."

"And they got this how?"

Intelligence Chief Farnsworth replied. "There's been some Jacksonian espionage going on at Silica and other universities. There usually is. House Fell, of course, is all but officially allied with Barrayar these days, through House Cordonah".

Minister Patel glanced at President William Blythe, who looked like he was going to be even sicker.

_You've got to be kidding me…_

Graves piled on, "Of course, this likely means that the _Piotr Vorkosigan _has Bhoot capability. It's the newest _Emperor Ezar_ class dreadnought, at least the equal of any other ship in the Nexus. Without Bhoot, that is.

"We can't count on any of our friends, either.", Galbreath took his turn. We've been on very good terms with Barrayar, lately. Most of our friends are their friends. The Marilacan Ambassador is a good friend, but advises me that his government considers this a matter of honor. The Hegen Alliance has issued a note formally demanding Vicereine Vorkosigan's immediate release. Barrayar is of course a member. They hold the second fastest wormhole route between us and Barrayar. Escobar holds the fastest, and might help, but there is internal debate there. Barrayarans remain generally unpopular, but the Vicereine is a different matter entirely. Earth is, as always, split, and any aid would have to reach us through Hegen. Likewise the Jacksonians, and no House would defy Fell so openly. Tau Ceti might help, but they are concerned about the Cetagandans and wouldn't be able to help enough. Nor would they want to piss off Barrayar, for the same reason

Patel leaped on one word: "Enough?"

"Enough." Graves was the one who replied. "The fact is, if push comes to shove, they win and we lose. We can't do all that much significant damage to them beyond attrition to their forces. The only restraints on _them_ are political. There's no way they don't know this. The contacts are too close and their intelligence network is way too good.

"How the hell did we let this happen? What have we been spending our defense budget on?!"

Galbreath saw Minister Graves's legendary temper about to boil over and took over. "We've been cutting the military budget over the past few years, in case you haven't noticed. Indeed, a big part of the reason has been our ties with Barrayar. We've increasingly been counting on our closeness with, and influence on them, as a hedge against any threats from elsewhere. In fact, we've been routing much of our trade through more dangerous areas onto Komarran ships. The Barrayarans don't stint on escort and don't pull their punches with pirates. "

Graves had to interject "Making their navy the best in the Nexus. They've done with it what the British and then the Americans did with Earth's oceans while giving their people priceless experience. I've been saying for years, Earth history is full of the civilized nations using the semi-civilized as a buffer against the barbarians. It failed way too often…"

"True, but the Americans were the first to make it work. First against the Soviets, then the radical Muslims. The secret is to influence the barrier state, increasing their level of civilization without sapping their edge. We've certainly done that with the Barrayarans. " _If you want to call the Orb "civilization"…._

"The Americans never lost their own edge, though. Their barrier states knew better than to mess with them after they dealt with the Jihadis a few times. We've been more like the Europeans, using them and not keeping up. In any case, the connections work both ways, they _were_ very strong, and there was precisely one way to blow it all up. Our esteemed colleague has managed to do exactly that."

"Nevertheless…",.

_About time Willy finally spoke up. Though he sounds like he'd rather hide._

"…This is indeed a matter for Justice. Naismith committed her crimes before she gained any diplomatic status. Law must take precedence. Minister Patel may pr—prr—prrroo-ceed with her charges. "

In the uproar, no one noticed Graves pressing an encrypted signaler.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Despite the media blackout, word had spread. A crowd had gathered in Simms Plaza, immediately outside the main entrance to the Justice Ministry HQ. Despite their about five to one breakdown in favor of the Vicereine, the crowd was peaceful. A few military vehicles, their crews lounging in or near, helped assure their demeanor.

Not all the troops were there for this reason.

-break-

Hearing the signal, General Martin glanced at her phone. "Damn it. We're On. Deploy."

Twelve Betan Special Forces troopers, nine men and three women, smartly plied out of two personnel carriers. They formed a perimeter around the Chief of Staff and all proceeded towards the door through the stunned crowd. The BIS security officers on guard were not prepared for this, visibly wilting as the group approached. Then their own commander appeared behind them, issued terse orders, and they melted away as the squad entered the building.

No alarm had passed to their destination. The security detail commander, honorably retired from the Special Forces, led the way.

-break-

"What's all that commotion outside?"

"I don't know. They aren't answering at the front station."

"Send someone down to find out."

"That won't be necessary, Vice Minister Nampeth. Indeed, it won't even be permitted."

"General Martin, what is the meaning of this?! Why are these soldiers armed?"

"Because we will be taking custody of Vicereine Vorkosigan".

"B-b-b-b-ut she is under arrest! That is not permitted!".

_Really?_

"It is not a matter of 'permitted', Vice Minister. It is a matter of whether you will produce her, get out of our way, or attempt to stop us. One of these choices, you are unlikely to survive."

"We may not be able to stop you from taking her, but we can certainly prevent you from taking her alive."

"In that case, Vice Minister, you _will_ _not_ survive. Nor will anyone else involved in such an atrocity. That way, my squad has a much better chance of surviving the Barrayaran invasion. Oh yes, they _will_ declare war and they _will_ invade. The only question is if we will resist. We can't beat them".

Vice Minister Nampeth heard the guards mutter, then lower their weapons. They only carried stunners anyway. The tall blonde Captain, at least, was quite lethally armed. There really was no alternative.

_A nerve disruptor carries real authority._

_-break-_

"Vicereine, I need you to wake up! We must go…"

_Drou? I must still be dreaming…_

As the fog of assisted sleep faded, Cordelia realized the tall young woman with the short blonde hair only resembled Drou Koudelka…..at about the time of Vordarian's War. A little bit shorter, just as well conditioned…but her obvious comfort with the Captain's bars on her collar and her extensive arsenal were well ahead of even then Lady Vorkosigan's bodyguard. Besides, Drou would not be wearing a Betan SF beret.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Captain Julia Herring. Special Forces. Chief of Staff Martin is waiting outside. We need you to come with us. "

"Where?"

"We've been summoned by Minister Graves. We're paying a visit to the Cabinet."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The most acrimonious meeting in the recent history of the Betan Executive Cabinet was in a short recess. Riva Patel was making herself a small meal on the side table as Ministers Graves and Galbreath, together with their allies, gathered in a small group speaking quietly. Patel glared smugly whenever one choose to glance over at her. President Blythe had not left his chair and his aides were looking at him with obvious concern for his health, and their positions.

_Not necessarily in that order. _

Suddenly there was a commotion loud enough to carry through the outer doors. The volume increased as the doors burst open. Several SF troopers entered, followed by Chief of Staff Martin, and….

_NO! They cannot bring The Hellbitch into this room! IT IS NOT PERMITTED!_

The rage of many years burst loose, and Betan Justice Minister Riva Patel lost her temper and her mind. Gripping a knife from the buffet, she charged at Barrayaran Countess Dowager Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Vicereine of Sergyar.

She got about halfway to her goal before the world ended in a flash of blue.

Betan Special Forces Captain Julia Cordelia Herring maintained her renowned calm under stress until she reholstered her nerve disruptor. Only then did it falter, and then only for a moment, as her partial namesake and childhood hero gripped her upper arm and met her eyes in silent gratitude. Her commanding officer was a step behind. Moments later, they were joined by two cabinet ministers.

"My profoundest apologies, Vicereine!", it was the professional negotiator who began. "There is no reason you should have gone through this! I assure you, this terrible business is now entirely finished".

Two ministers, a general, and a captain glared at their President. If a man of that girth could have literally melted (without Cetagandan aid), it would have happened then and there.

With a deadpan voice, a former Betan captain broke the spell.

"That's quite all right. By no means was it your fault.

Indeed, in a way it could be said to be partly mine.

For over forty years, I have sought to bring some Betan ways to Barrayar.

I appear to have helped do the reverse as well."


End file.
